A gauge table is a numerical table that relates a volume of cargo to the distance between the shell-full level of the tankcar and the surface level of the cargo within the tankcar. Operators of tankcars use gauge tables to determine the volume of cargo carried by or removed from a tankcar. Every tankcar has two associated gauge tables, an image gauge table and an outage gauge table. The image gauge table relates the distance between the shell-full level of the tankcar and the surface level of the cargo to the volume of cargo within the tankcar. The outage gauge table relates the distance between the shell-full level of the tankcar and the surface level of the cargo to the volume of remaining cargo capacity within the tankcar. Image gauge tables are commonly used to determine the current volume of cargo held by a tankcar. Outage gauge tables are commonly used to determine the volume of cargo that has been removed from a tankcar. The volume of cargo removed from a tankcar can be calculated using a gauge table by subtracting the initial volume of remaining cargo capacity from the current volume of remaining cargo capacity. Image and outage gauge tables can be compiled in either an ascending or descending format.
Every tankcar has a unique image gauge table and a unique outage gauge table. Various factors such as the tank style, the shell-full capacity, the volume of any internal components, the lining thickness, the tank diameter, the center diameter, and the manway volume all contribute to the uniqueness of each tankcar's gauge tables.
Tankcars are commonly leased or sold to railcar operators. Consequently, railcar operators commonly request copies of gauge tables from railcar lessors and manufacturers. In the past, railcar lessors and manufacturers provided printed gauge tables to railcar operators. However, the conversion process relating the surface level of the cargo to the image and/or outage levels was time intensive and resulted in an unacceptably high rate of errors in the converted gauge tables.
Inaccurate gauge tables and time lost waiting for an accurate gauge table cost the railcar operators money. For example, inaccurate gauge tables may cause an operator to fill a tankcar to less than full capacity resulting in a need for a greater number of tankcars. Alternatively, an inaccurate gauge table may result in overfilling tankcars, wasting product and presenting a danger or nuisance to workers. Moreover, if the tankcar is emptied in a number of different locations, an inaccurate gauge table may result in overcharging or undercharging for delivered cargo, or under-delivery or over-delivery of commodity.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art process for providing a gauge table to railcar operators or other customers. As shown in FIG. 1, when a customer made a request for a gauge table, that request was communicated to a customer service department. The customer service department determined whether an accurate copy of the requested gauge table existed by searching files either manually or via a computer. If an accurate copy did exist, a printed copy of the gauge table was sent to the customer. However, if an accurate copy of the requested gauge table did not exist, a request to generate the requested gauge table was sent by the customer service department to an engineering department. The engineering department would generate the requested gauge table and send a printed copy of it to the customer service department.
The customer service department collected the printed gauge tables to be sent to an outsource supplier for conversion into a format suitable to be sent to the customer. However, it was not economical to send the gauge tables to the outsource supplier for conversion until at least approximately 50 printed gauge tables were collected. Often collecting at least approximately 50 printed gauge tables took much time, perhaps weeks. Once the outsource supplier received the gauge tables, the outsource supplier converted the printed gauge tables into a format suitable to be sent to the customer and capable of being stored electronically. The converted gauge tables were then sent by the outsource supplier to an information technology department.
The information technology department first tested the converted gauge tables for format and content errors. After the converted gauge table was checked for accuracy, the information technology department uploaded the converted gauge tables into a computer network that was accessible by the customer service department. After the gauge tables were checked and uploaded, the information technology department informed the customer service department that the gauge table was available. Finally, the customer service department would access the gauge table, print a copy of the gauge table, and send the copy of the gauge table to the customer.
This process often required the customer to wait a significant period of time for a gauge table. Moreover, the conversion process employed by the outsource supplier was susceptible to a high rate of errors. Consequently, through the prior art process, a customer often waited weeks to receive an inaccurate gauge table. Additionally, the customers were not able to access the data files generated by the engineering department; the customers could only receive the information in printed “hard-copy” form. Moreover, often the gauge table on file with the customer service department was in a format other than the format requested by the customer. The conversion process was no less inefficient, redundant, or error prone than the process illustrated in FIG. 1.
Accordingly, a system and a method are needed that will provide customers access to accurate gauge table information in a shorter time period in a format that is readily usable by the customer. Moreover, a system and method are needed that further overcome the problems associated with the prior art process, and other processes commonly used to provide gauge tables to customers.